He left a fortune that has never been fully estimated

for posterity, says Maher. It included his mansions as

well as a circus that sold to Ringling Bros.
for $400,000, worth $10 million today. Barnum said
he never wanted to be considered anything more than
a showman.Jan 22, 2014
P.T. Barnum Put On A Show That Plays To This Day |
Investor's ...
https://www.investors.com/.../pt-barnum-pioneered-entertainment-advertising-marketing...
Why is Ringling Brothers circus going out of business?
Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus said in a statement that the
show will end is 146-year run in May. The
iconic circus declined in recent years due to high
operating costs and long, costly legal battles with animal
rights groups, such as the one to eliminate elephant
acts.Jan 14, 2017
Ringling Bros. circus closing after 146 years -
USATODAY.com
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/.../ringling-bros-circus.../96606820/
The Hartford circus fire occurred on July 6, 1944,
in Hartford, Connecticut, during an afternoon
performance that was attended by approximately
7,500 to 8,700 people. It was one of the worst fire
disasters in the history of the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringling_Bros._an
d_Barnum_%26_Bailey_Circus
Eight months after it retired the elephants, it was announced on
January 14, 2017, that the circus would do 30 more
performances, that it would lay off more than 462 employees
between March and May 2017 and then close.[38] The circus
cited steeply declining ticket sales associated with the loss of
the elephants combined with high operating costs as reasons
for the closure, along with animal cruelty concerns.[38] On May
7, 2017, its "Circus Extreme" tour was shown for the last time at
the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The
circus's last performance was its "Out of This World" tour
at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on May 21, 2017
 Animal care and criticism
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was
investigated following the death of a lion who died
from heat and lack of water while the circus train
was travelling through the Mojave Desert.[44] In
1998, the United States Department of
Agriculture filed charges against Ringling Bros. for
forcing a sick elephant to perform.[45] Ringling paid
a $20,000 fine
“Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but
following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw
an even more dramatic drop,” Kenneth Feld said in a
statement. “This, coupled with high operating costs, made
the circus an unsustainable business for the company.”
Before this announcement, Feld had said for years that 10
million people visited Ringling Bros. circus each year

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2017/01/16/billionaire-kenneth-
felds-ringling-bros-circus-is-shutting-down-in-
may/?fbclid=IwAR3bLEKgyfZ60VyF3U6Tvnp2F-
29cv_BkIQMGK17yEwfCl2aJx9TUoAaPOo#5133710d3a67
 Feld Entertainment’s estimated $1.3 billion
in revenue came from the circus, despite
Ringling Bros. being at the heart of its
brand. In the announcement, Feld said the
company would continue to produce its
other shows.